Winning The Bet
by The Goliath Beetle
Summary: Sweets asked,"You think you can be a matchmaker for Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan?" Angela looked at Sweets in a confident way. "I can bet on it." Angela's playing matchmaker! B/B, H/A
1. Chapter 1

_Winning the bet_

**A/N: And this is what my half asleep state of mind comes up with as soon as I wake up from a nap…I just had to write it down. I'm new to Bones fanfiction, so if this plot has already been used, then I'm really, really sorry. **

**But for now, let's just say, if I owned Bones, I'd make Booth kiss Brennan at every possible opportunity. **

Her psychic, Avalon Harmonica had told her that today was going to be very unusual. Whether Avalon meant a weird case or Hodgins discovering that he was in the middle of a huge Jeffersonian-FBI conspiracy, she did not know. But whatever it was going to be, Angela Montenegro had come prepared.

Hiding in her purse was pepper spray, and a mallet…just in case. Confidently, Angela walked through the doors that led to the Jeffersonian, a smile as large as Texas on her face. She wasn't sure what Avalon was talking about, but Angela's every instinct was telling her that she was going to thoroughly enjoy it.

Waltzing into her office, she set down her purse, and took a minute to control a serious amount of adrenalin. If her 'gut feeling' as Booth would call it, was right, she was going to need it. An energetic '_clut, clut, clut _,_' _ sounded as someone entered her office.

"Morning Angela," said Hodgins almost flirtatiously.

Angela looked up and grinned at him. "Morning Jack," she returned the salutation. "Is Brennan in yet?" Angela was dying to tell her best friend what Avalon had mentioned about today. Yet, as Hodgins shook his head, she felt her shoulders droop.

Just at that minute, there was a sound of laughter and Angela couldn't believe her ears. Since when did Brennan laugh as she came to work? But then, Angela heard a second voice: Booth. Ah…so they were 'escorting' each other to work now, was it?

Being the friend that she was, Angela decided to leave Brennan and Booth alone for a bit, obviously seeing as they both were crazy about each other and too wimpy to admit it. The more 'moments' they had, the more it would please Brennan, (she wouldn't say anything, but it was quite apparent how her mood would improve by ten times more than usual), and when Brennan was pleased, so was Angela.

"See you," said Hodgins as he walked away.

The first half of the day past on without anything special happening. No new cases, and as it turned out, her intuition was wrong, and Hodgins didn't even consider the possibility that the Jeffersonian and the FBI were probably conspiring against him. _Ironic, really,_ Angela thought. And to top it all up, the body that the found in Limbo, wasn't even fully human. It was a _Homo erectus, _not _Homo sapien. _The person, Angela figured, probably didn't even have a proper family in today's world and time.

So, in so many words, nothing even vaguely interesting happened…until lunchtime.

Wanting a nice burger, Angela pulled herself over to the Diner. Brenda, the new employee in the place, gave her a friendly smile. "Well welcome here, Miss Montenegro!" she said cheerfully. Brenda and Angela had spoken a couple of times, and had become quite good friends. "What would ya like?" Brenda was a big woman, and her round face seemed _rounder_ as her auburn hair was always pulled in a hairnet.

"A cheeseburger would be fine, Brenda," Angela replied, the morning's cheerfulness gone.

"One cheeseburger coming right up!" cried Brenda enthusiastically and went inside the kitchen.

As she waited for her order, she considered the possibility that Avalon Harmonica was wrong, and this day was going to be as boring as it could possibly get. She didn't doubt the psychic, but the woman could have been wrong, it happens to everyone. But that's where Angela was mistaken.

And as she waited, Sweets walked in. "Hey, Angela!" he said and came to her booth. "Mind if I join you?"

"Of course not," she replied. She smiled at the shrink she had grown to befriend – something that she never thought would happen. As Sweets sat down, she said, "So what brings you here?"

"Ah, I got a bit cooped up in the office and I was kinda hungry." He waved at a waiter and ordered a plate of fries. Then, after the waiter was gone, he asked, "So, what's up?"

"Oh nothing…" Angela said and began reciting what her psychic had said. "…She told me that today was going to be unusual. You believe in the whole psychic thing, don't you?" She looked at Sweets in an almost pleading manner.

Sweets looked suddenly uncomfortable. "I don't know, Angela."

"She found your watch," Angela pointed out.

"Yeah, but…I'm a doctor, I can't…" Then he suddenly paused, as his cell phone had vibrated. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out. A smile graced his lips. "It's a reminder,' he explained. "Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan have a therapy session at four today."

"I swear," Angela said with a bite of her burger, which had just arrived, along with Sweets' plate of fries, "I swear that they're mentally blind. I mean, the rest of the world can see they love each other. The other day, Caroline Julian mentioned that Booth loved Brennan in 'professional, atta-girl' kind of way. I'm telling you, if they don't confess to each other, I'm going to make them."

Sweets' expression changed suddenly from friendly, to the face that suggested that the dog had picked up a scent. "Interesting," he said, "You think you can be a matchmaker for Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan?"

Angela looked at Sweets in a confident way. "I can bet on it." Her tone sounded like she was challenging him. Sweets' expression looked like he was accepting her challenge.

"Fine, I'll give you three hundred dollars if you can match them up by this time tomorrow," Sweets said. "And if you can't, you pay be three hundred dollars. Deal?" This was unlike Sweets, Angela figured, but any possible reason to try to get Booth and Brennan together was alright with her. Angela was an opportunist.

Angela checked her watch. Then she smirked and extended her arm for Sweets to shake. "Deal."

** A/N: Reviews make me happy! And thanks for taking your time reading it. I love constructive criticism, so don't be shy, if you have something to say, say it! **

**Thanks again! :-D**


	2. Chapter 2

_Winning the Bet_

**A/N: Here's chapter two. Thanks for all those wonderful reviews! They made my day. Again, i don't own Bones, now on with the story…**

Blind, stupid, decisions. Going back to the Jeffersonian, Angela began chiding herself about this whole bet. Sure, she didn't underestimate her skills in human beings. She knew people. And if she could look at skulls and give them a face, she could bring together a very literal Forensics Anthropologist and a hot FBI agent – nothing could stop her.

Still…

Three hundred bucks was a lot of money. If she lost that much money in a bet…to a _shrink _…! She suddenly sorted out her priorities. This was no-longer an innocent bet, this was a go at her personal dignity. She was not going to lose to Sweets over something she had first spotted. After all, Angela had been the first to notice that spark between Brennan and Booth. And she was going to take full credit for it!

However, Angela really was stumped. What in the hell of it would bring Booth and Brennan together was beyond her. But then, as every good business man (in this case, woman) does: use the other's weakness as your strength. What were Brennan's weaknesses? _That's like asking a three-year-old what Newton's Third Law is, _she figured. _The kid has no way of knowing. _And, in ten years of their friendship, Angela had no idea what her best friend's weakness was.

_Well,_ she consoled herself, _Brennan is one tough old bird. Not many know too much about her. It's a wonder I know as much as I do about her. _So her thoughts wandered to Brennan's love interest, Booth. Now Booth was much easier. MUCH easier.

The most strikingly obvious thing about Booth was that if Brennan was in danger or upset, he'd do anything to help her. Well, well, well, this much information was gold; especially to someone trying to bring them together.

Now what kind of person would even dream of hurting their best friend?! Angela wouldn't ever forgive herself if Brennan was hurt by some action of the young artist. It would be cruel, wicked and absolutely _wrong_. Angela would never hurt Brennan intentionally – may it be a physical wound or emotional.

She couldn't do it; Angela was too good a person. However, Angela was brilliant at computers…maybe, if she made a possible scenario in the Angelator in which it _seemed _like Brennan was in danger, but wasn't actually going to be harmed? Again, Angela scolded herself, this time for the mean thing she was planning to do with Brennan. Then again, Angela reflected, if she won this bet, she was left with three hundred bucks and a clear conscience. And Angela wasn't complaining. That was quite a good deal.

Reaching the Jeffersonian, Angela raced to her office and started up the Angelator. She made a virtual scene of Brennan's office. A green figure of a woman, Brennan, gets up from the virtual couch and tries to walk over to the virtual chair. A blue virtual man figure, Booth, enters the office. But Green Brennan slips on virtual slippery substance on the floor and falls backwards – towards the couch. Blue Booth reaches out and grabs her before Green Brennan falls on the couch.

Cute and fluffy. If Booth fails to catch Brennan, she'd fall on the couch, so she wouldn't get hurt. But Angela was sure Booth would catch her. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. Angela made Blue Booth and Green Brennan come closer…and closer…their faces only inches from each other…they were going to kiss, when –

"Angela, are those sketches ready yet?" Angela jumped so violently at Brennan's voice that the Angelator's control pad fell out of her hands.

"Huh? What?" Angela said distractedly as she made sure that the scenario in the Angelator was turned off. Breathing a sigh of relief, Angela bent to pick up her control pad. Then she turned to Brennan saying, "Hi Sweetie, you scared me."

"I'm sorry," muttered Brennan, "But do you have the sketches?"

"What?" Angela asked, she was still flustered and disoriented from the start Brennan had given her. In a daze, she began thanking all the gods and fairies of luck that Brennan didn't seem to have noticed the Angelator's scenario.

"The sketches," Brennan repeated for the third time in one minute, "Of the victim from World War One. Jane Doe no. 123, have you done the sketches?"

Both women's eyes simultaneously fell on a skull with tissue markers lying expectantly on Angela's table. "Oh," was all Angela managed. She said she would do that when she came back from the Diner. "Umm, twenty minutes?"

Brennan gave her a curious sideways look that Angela interpreted as _'I can't believe you forgot to do that, Angela!' _But then Brennan nodded, "Alright, I'll be back in twenty minutes."

Angela pounced on the skull and began work. She wasn't even concentrating properly. Sure, twenty minutes later, her job was done and she hadn't made a mistake, so that wasn't a problem – Brennan was satisfied with her work. Angela's bigger worry was how to wet the floor in Brennan's office without anyone noticing. Because she figured someone would see her pouring a bucket full of water in an office.

A sudden idea struck her.

Swiftly, she moved towards Hodgins with a flirty look in her eye. "Hello Jack," she said, bending over him. "What are you doing?"

"Angela!" he exclaimed. "I'm just…I'm just…" Hodgins seemed to be debating whether or not he should tell her that he was studying something that would make her gag. "I'm doing nothing," he said finally, standing up to look at her properly. "What do you need?"

Angela put a hand on his arm lightly. "I want to borrow a test tube, full of water. A big one."

"Erm…sure!" said Jack, jumping into action. He handed her a large test tube and filled it with tap water. "All yours."

"Thank you," Angela said with that same naughty tone in her voice. As she turned around and walked off, she found that she was once again scolding herself, this time, for using her obvious good looks to charm Hodgins into a favor he wouldn't have otherwise complied to. But there was no other choice, test tubes were easily concealed.

As she made her way to Brennan's office, she began thinking again. Knowing the pair, Booth and Brennan would just shake off Booth's heroic rescue as 'professional, atta-girl love,' which really complicated matters. But no matter what she did, her brain had reached a temporary shutdown when it came to the matter of matchmaking. But first thing's first: Build up the tension.

Before walking into the office, Angela peeked around the area. She didn't need any witnesses to the crime. Hodgins was at his station, and Cam was nowhere to be seen. But, as luck would have it, Brennan and Booth were walking together towards the office, both of them peering at a file in Brennan's hands as they walked.

In a flash, Angela walked in and emptied the contents of the test tube on the floor near the couch. But those forty seconds were all it took. Angela saw that Booth and Brennan were only a foot away from the threshold of the office door. They were still looking at the file, and were blissfully unaware of Angela's presence in the office. That was the only thing that was on her side right now, and fate seemed to have its own ideas. She couldn't run, they'd see her.

But she could hide.

Angela ducked under Brennan's table, waiting for the inevitable. "Booth, the FBI Forensics team is terrible!" Angela heard Brennan say. They were only a few feet away from Angela's hiding place and Angela was hoping it would stay that way, instead of Brennan finding her best friend under a table, eavesdropping.

"What Bones, that's exactly why I gave this report to you," Booth said in a tone that showed that he was as annoyed as his partner was.

"You can clearly see that the blow to the cranium was the result of a fall, not a weapon!" cried Brennan, waving the file in Booth's face. Angela was prepared to bet all her money, paintings, the clothes she was wearing right now, _and _the Angelator that Booth didn't see that the blow to the cranium was the result of a fall not a weapon. Yet, the good agent tried…

"Yeah Bones, that's why I brought it to you!" he repeated. Then, "I still don't think you've eaten, Bones." _Anything to change the subject, Booth, _Angela thought as a smirk threatened to play on her face.

"Of course I have, Booth," she said dismissively.

Booth approached Brennan. The proximity of their closeness almost made Angela squeal. "I read people," said Booth, "It's my job. You're lying."

Brennan grumbled something indistinct. "Fine, but you're paying."

"Great!" Booth pulled her out of the office.

Angela suddenly felt like the entire universe had fallen to pieces around her. _She was supposed to fall on the couch!! _Her head screamed, _He was supposed to catch her!_ But NOOO, they went to lunch! Lunchtime was half an hour ago, this wasn't fair. _Great, now I sound like a six-year-old. _

Fuming, Angela stepped out of the hiding place and absently walked to the couch. In a gut wrenching shriek, Angela slipped and fell backwards, (away from the couch, Angela noted), and landed hard on her butt.

"Oh dear God!" cried Cam, who had conveniently shown up. Cam bent down to Angela's level. "Angela, you alright?"

"Hummph!" Angela mumbled in fury as she pulled herself up, the back of her jeans thoroughly soaked. Noting Cam's expression, Angela added, "Some idiot dropped water here. I came to find Brennan and I slipped." Yeah, Angela wasn't that bad a liar.

"Yeah, but Booth told me he's taking her to lunch."

"I can imagine," Angela muttered.

This little setback wasn't going to stop Angela, she wasn't going to lose to Sweets, not when she was betting on three hundred bucks and all her dignity. Time for Plan B.

**A/N: This was a longer chapter than the last one. This story is going to be three, four or five chapters long, not more than that. Well, thanks so much for reading. **

**See that REVIEW button there? It's saying, "Click here! Click here!" C'mon, give it some love!**


	3. Chapter 3

_Winning the Bet_

**A/N: Ah, sorry for the late update, we've just been having a stream of annoying tests so I've not had the time. And thanks for those awesome reviews, they really make me happy *smile*. And on another note, this chapter was inspiration I got from one of my reviewers, Steph. Thanks a lot Steph! **

**And of course, you know I don't own Bones. Now, on with chapter three. **

If there was anything that annoyed her more than Booth and Brennan's awkward love story, it was wet clothes at work. Especially if the clothes were jeans and if they were completely soaked. Sure, a couple of drops of water, Angela could handle, but her jeans were brand new, and ruined.

Tissue paper did all it could, but the wet jeans remained stubbornly wet. And after half an hour of tying to dry the jeans with tissue paper, the dampness had only lessened by about ten percent – if she had the statistics right. Finally, when the dark water mark on her clothes had faded slightly, she began thinking again.

It was about 3PM. Which should have been, under normal circumstances, more than enough time for her to play Cupid. But this was Booth and Brennan she was dealing with. She could try this stupid matchmaking for a year and it would still hardly make any difference.

Unless...Angela almost yelled with joy. She had found a loophole. What had Sweets said? _"__I'll give you three hundred dollars if you can match them up by this time tomorrow_._"_

Basically, Sweets had told her that _she _had to be the matchmaker. He didn't say that she was not allowed to ask for help, which was all good. Yeah, she was going to be the matchmaker – she was going to add the fuel to the fire; someone else was going to strike the matchstick.

* * *

"Hey Cam, I have a girl problem," the words escaped Angela's mouth before she could stop herself had she was immediately regretting it. Cam's head jerked up from a pathology report, a worried and stunned look etched on her face.

"Are you pregnant?" Cam demanded, her voice strange.

"What?" Angela questioned, her brow furrowed. "No, I'm not. I need some help with Booth and Brennan and only you can help me."

"Oh," said Cam, quite obviously embarrassed. She smiled a bit, and asked, "So only me? What do you need?"

"I want you to flirt with Booth." Angela was mentally slapping herself. _Way to be discreet, Montenegro, _she thought. _Great. _

"Excuse me?" Cam said, approaching Angela. "You want me to what?"

"You heard me," Angela said, pumping her bloodstream with some much needed confidence. If she screwed this up, Cam was going to kill her...or be extremely amused, but whatever. "The thing is, I made a bet with Sweets, and..."

Angela told Cam everything, from what Avalon said to the water in Brennan's office. And as Angela had expected (not really, it was just a small feeling of hope that Cam wasn't going to be mad), Cam was seriously amused.

"...So," Cam summarized, "You want me to flirt with Booth -- since we used to date -- so that Dr. Brennan would get jealous and do something she otherwise might not do."

"-Like tell Booth she loves him? Yeah, that's pretty much it," Angela nodded, an understanding grin on her face.

"So tell me," said Cam, with an amused tone, as the two women walked to the boss's office, "What makes you think Booth loves Dr. Brennan?"

Angela stopped short, a _Hello-I'm-Not-Blind-And-It's-Totally-Obvious _expression on her face. "Have you met Booth?" she questioned in a way that suggested that she thought Cam was stupid.

"Yeah I have," Cam replied with a nod of her head. "But, just to let you know, Booth already told me he loves her."

"What?!" cried Angela, "When??"

"Shortly after he was reinstated: After his surgery."

"Oh..." said the artist, a slightly annoyed edge to her voice. "This complicates matters...You're one of his most trusted friends. He expects you to back off him, now that you know he loves Brennan." _Oh, just GREAT. Now what the hell do I do?_

"Hey!" Cam said indignantly, entering her office. "I back off him anyway." Angela followed.

"Yeah, but it just...complicates matters." Angela stopped, a pleading look in her eyes. "But you'll think of something, right?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" exclaimed Cam, dropping the pathology report on her desk. "I didn't say I was going to help."

Those words hit Angela like a boulder rolling down a cliff. Cam couldn't just _not help. _How unfair was that!? "Wait, you're really not going to help?" she repeated, surprised by the stunned hurt in her own voice.

Cam's eyes turned slightly warm as Angela spoke, but the rest of her remained as Cam-Like as possible. "I don't have a good reason to do something like that. It might jeopardize our friendship and a possible relationship between Booth and Dr. Brennan. Ergo, it's way too risky and I'm not going to do it."

"_Our_ _friendship? _You mean you and Booth or you and Brennan. Or both?"

"Oh, both, both."

By now, Angela was getting desperate. She needed someone like Cam in this with her. Cam had a relation with Booth and she was still someone he trusted with enormous secrets. If anyone knew Booth better than Brennan, it was definitely her. Plus, Cam was smart, she could think of a way to flirt with Booth in a non-bizarre-out-of-the-blue manner.

"Alright!" said Angela loudly. "I'll give you ten percent of the money when I win."

Cam's face turned impassive. "Fifty."

"Fifteen."

"Thirty."

"Twenty-Five."

"Done!" said Cam, rubbing her hands together, "Twenty-Five percent it is."

_Yeah, _thought Angela, mentally doing the calculations to see how much money she just lost. _Twenty-Five percent it is. _

**A/N: I don't know...I thought this chapter was kind of abrupt... But then, that's just my opinion. I still think it needs some kind of **_**something. **_**I just can't figure out what, though. **

**Oh well, never mind. Please review. I'm open to any kind of constructive criticism. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Winning the Bet_

**I finally was in the mood to type. I've got something interesting to say, by the way. Some of my reviewers have been sending me some awesome ideas, and I've decided to use them in the upcoming chapters. So what I really want to say is: If you have an idea for one of Angela's schemes, and if you want me to use it, you could send it along in a review or a message, and I might actually use it. But don't worry, I'll give the credit to the person whose idea I'm using. **

**That is, of course, only if you want me to use it. There's no pressure or anything. (Wow I'm nervous; I don't really say things like that, lol)**

**Well anyway, thanks for all those wonderful reviews, and remember that I OBVIOUSLY don't own Bones. **

* * *

Working in a Forensics Lab had its effects. Like, for instance, an obsession to know the truth. 'Obsession', probably, was too huge a word, maybe the correct term was 'Urge'? What's the difference anyway? Having gotten Cam on her side, at least for the time-being, Angela needed to find out a couple of more things. This time, from the Boy-Man-Shrink, Sweets.

It was disturbing at best to see the usually level headed psychologist betting a fortune over his patients' love lives. Not that the artist minded – she was going to win – but this was so unlike Sweets she couldn't even begin to understand why he'd want to do it.

So here she was, holding the cell phone to her ear, listening to the monotonous air of impatient ringing. After about thirty seconds, Sweets finally picked up. "Dr. Sweets?" he said into his phone.

"Right, I need some answers. Now," Angela ordered the shrink.

"Angela? What are you talking about?" he asked.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" she snapped, well knowing that he had no clue; she was only playing with him.

"I'm not sure I do..." he replied uncertainly.

Angela sighed. No time for games. "So what's with this whole bet, huh?" she demanded. When she was greeted with silence, she elaborated, "Why are you risking so much money over something like this. It's not your job, is it? No, it's not. You're supposed to read their minds, get on their nerves, and tolerate Brennan's verbal attacks at psychology. It is not your job to go betting on love!" Angela completely lost all control. "So why the hell are you doing it!?"

There was a pause at the other end. Then, with a hint of a smirk in his voice, Sweets replied, "Losing already?"

_Excuse moi? Losing? Me? Matchmaking? _"No," Angela retorted indignantly. "I'm wondering. Why would you think otherwise?"

"Well, since you were angry and annoyed as you asked the questions, so I-"

"You know what," Angela cut him short, "Brennan was right. Psychology is a load of crap." So saying, she snapped the phone shut and let out an annoyed breath. Something had to be done. She checked her watch.

Something had to be done now.

Time to execute Plan B.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Diner...

* * *

Shoving his phone back into his pocket, Sweets pushed open the diner doors, only to see Booth and Dr. Brennan in an involved conversation. He looked annoyed, and she, defiant. As Sweets approached, he heard a bit of their discussion.

"For the last time, Bones, Jesus is _not_ a zombie!"

"But zombies, even though they are fictional creatures, just like Jesus-"

"Jesus is not fictional!"

"But he came back to life after three days. That is not possible."

"Bones, just..." Booth paused, rubbing his face, and said, "Jesus is not a zombie, and he is not fictional, okay! Live with it."

Before Brennan could retort, Sweets interrupted them. "Do you know what time it is?"

Both of them jumped, looking up at him, as if Sweets had just fallen out of the sky. "What are you doing here?" Booth asked.

"Looking for you, obviously," Sweets answered, sounding really annoyed. "It's 4.15 PM, you realise, right? You're both fifteen minutes late for therapy. "

4.15?! No, of course they didn't realise, they were having a very profound discussion about religion and zombies. How could anyone possibly be distracted to check a watch when the conversation was getting so intense? Sort out your priorities, Dr. Sweets. Haven't you ever heard of extended lunches?

Just then, a very excited looking Angela walked in, with –

"Whoa, Cam! What's the occasion?" Booth asked, his mouth open in a wide grin, his eyes twinkling. And why would anyone blame him? Cam was wearing a tight red outfit, her hair down and she had prominent, but elegant make-up. She was looking, and there was no other word for it: smoking.

"Dr. Saroyan..." Sweets greeted uncertainly, unsure of what to make of this bizarre intervention. From the corner of her eye, Angela saw Brennan stiffen _very _slightly.

Cam shot Angela a look that the artist interpreted as: _This better work or you're fired. _"Hello, Seeley..." Cam said, sitting down next to him so close, she was almost positioned on his lap. Her tone was flirtatious, and Booth looked suddenly uncomfortable.

"Er..." Booth managed. He glanced at Angela, who had an understanding smile on her face.

"She's had too much alcohol," Angela explained.

"Oh," said Brennan. Her tone was quite readable: _I'm going to prove you wrong, whether you like it or not. _"It's four in the afternoon. Who has alcohol at four in the afternoon?"

Sweets stood between them as Angela took a seat next to Brennan. "Yeah," Angela said, suddenly realizing. She looked at Sweets, who was staring at her with a raised eyebrow. "You're right, sweetie. But she was having beer. People drink that after lunch."

"Cam doesn't like beer," Booth said quickly, trying to keep as far away from Cam as possible, who had a hand on his arm and her face nearly touching his temple.

"Yeah," Angela said, slumping. "Of course she doesn't."

"Dr. Saroyan likes coffee," Sweets helped, and Angela somehow managed not to mouth 'thank you' to him. She remembered only just in time, that he was the enemy.

"Exactly!" cried Angela instead. "Too much caffeine." This was getting harder and harder, she should have thought this through.

"Angela, could you help me chose something from the menu?" Sweets asked, and without waiting for an answer, pulled her to a corner, away from the others. When they were out of earshot, Sweets began talking.

"You brought Cam into this!" he whispered angrily.

" You should have been specific. That's not my problem. Nothing like a little jealousy to heat up the tension!"

Sweets paused, knowing full well that she had a point. "Fine," Sweets said. "But from now onwards, no help. You get it? _No help_. Cam can...umm...do whatever she's doing, and after that, no more help. You can't tell anyone else about this bet, and you can tell Booth and Dr. Brennan too, okay?"

"What if after the jealousy thing, they confess, huh? What makes you so certain that Cam's flirting won't work?"

"Seriously, Angela."

Angela and Sweets glared at each other for over a minute, before turning and going over to the booth.

"...Bones, a little help!" said Booth, who was, quite literally, pushing Cam away.

"I need to use the bathroom," Brennan said haughtily and stood.

"Ah...Me too!" Angela said, and both of them went to the ladies', leaving the two men with a 'caffeine intoxicated' Camille.

* * *

As soon as they entered the bathroom, Angela said, "She's taking your man! Do something."

Brennan placed Angela under a glare. "It's irrational to be bothered by Cam's behavior. She obviously still loves him."

"What?" Angela frowned. "Why? What makes you think that?" As Brennan gave her another look, Angela shrugged. "Sweetie, you love him." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"No I don't!" Brennan retorted.

"You went out to lunch with him at one thirty in the afternoon. Now it's four. That means something."

"Yes, it means we lost track of time." Brennan gave a smile to her best friend, hoping to convince her. And Montenegro certainly wasn't. Angela was giving on of her customary, _'Hello, DUH!' _look – arms crossed, eyes deadpan, mouth a straight line. "We were having an involved discussion!" said Brennan defensively.

"Sweetie, do you honestly expect me to believe that?" said Angela, "Go out there. Get Cam outta here. Make Booth yours. I'm not taking no for an answer."

Brennan looked at Angela, then to the bathroom door. Then again at Angela.

"Fine," she said, defeated. Brennan turned heel, and swept out the door, Angela following.

* * *

**Ah...The next chapter is going to be **_**sooooooo**_** much fun! And as you know, I love reviews (Hint, hint!) By the way, I felt that Brennan was a little out of character. What do you think? Well, thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Winning the Bet_

**A/N: Okay, yeah, I have SO much to say...For starters, this could be the last chapter for a month because my finals are coming up *gasp*. And secondly, this chapter is dedicated to Valentines Day! **

**And to The Rose of the Rush – That was my cousin. I didn't sign out and she read and reviewed the story without realizing. Lol. **

**And to Laceyyy to lazy to log in – That is possibly the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you so much!**

**And another thing, I DON'T OWN BONES!!**

**PS. To all my reviewers: Thanks for those great reviews!**

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Strutting out of the ladies', Brennan stomped to their booth. (Emphasis on the 'their', that was hers' and Booth's booth!) She leaned over her boss, which was something she'd never imagined she'd ever do. Angela stifled a snort of laughter. "Booth," Brennan said, "Are you sure we don't have a case?"

Booth was looking seriously preoccupied, what with his former girlfriend all but pulling off his clothes, and didn't answer immediately. When he did actually get around to replying, Cam did something freaky. Even Angela hadn't seen this coming. Cam swooped in and planted one on his lips.

Sweets nearly dropped his cup of coffee. Booth looked like someone had just told him _he_ was pregnant. Angela gasped so loudly heads turned in their direction. And Brennan? She did something extremely un-Brennan like. She hissed.

She actually hissed. Her face was red with rage. Angela cracked a rib or two trying to hold in laughter. Even Sweets was shocked with Brennan's reaction.

Controlling her anger, Brennan said, "Booth, are you sure?"

"What? Hmm?" Booth managed in a muffled tone, obviously too shaken for anything bigger than one syllable.

Swift like a cheetah, Brennan's hands reached into his breast-pocket and snatched out his phone. She went through the call-list and the message list, then with an angry sigh, returned the phone to its owner. Angela decided it was time the expert stepped in.

"Sweetie," Angela pulled Brennan's arm and directed her to a corner of the diner. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I was..." Brennan's voice trailed off, her eyes wandering to Cam and Booth. She noticed Sweets eyeing her and Angela closely. "I was trying to distract him," she concluded.

"By what, taking his phone? Have some perspective. His ex just kissed him." Angela stopped, noting the look in her best friend's eyes. In her mind, she had formulated a plan to help Brennan.

"Imagine Booth is a bone," Angela said. "Imagine he is a tibia or something."

Brennan's brow wrinkled in confusion. "And what would that achieve?"

"Let me finish," Angela snapped. "Imagine he's a bone and Cam's a stubborn....particle?"

"Particulates are Hodgins' department."

Angela managed not to sigh. "Bone impurity then, whatever. You are Dr. Temperance Brennan –"

"I'm aware of that."

"Sweetie, I love you and all," Angela said, "But try not to interrupt me. Anyway, you are the infamous genius Forensics Anthropologist, Dr. Temperance Brennan. The only Forensics Anthropologist in D.C. And you need to clean the bone. You need to extract the Cam from the Booth. You get that? You're an anthropologist, you'll understand."

"No, wait, I don't understand!" then Brennan realised what she'd just said, and quickly added, "I don't like not understanding. How do I extract Cam from Booth?"

"Not Cam from Booth," Angela corrected. "Impurity from bone." With that and a sly wink, Angela returned to the booth, leaving Brennan standing alone in a corner, very confused.

Once she sat down, Sweets asked Angela, "What was all that about?"

"Look, Sweets, you do your job, I do mine." Angela smirked and sipped her coffee. Avalon Harmonia was so right! This was one hell of a day. Sitting back against the seat, Angela watched Booth suffer under the 'undying-love' of her boss.

Meanwhile, Brennan came up with an idea: Details. Cam liked details. She liked it when people did their jobs (Which could hardy be said for her right now). Putting her phone to her ear, Brennan began acting (Which she was very good at, thank you very much.).

"Hodgins!" she yelled loudly, making people jump and glare at her. Booth, Sweets and Angela's head's turned to her too. Even Cam looked up from her incessant fondling of Booth's tie to see Brennan.

"You have the particulates!? That's good!" Brennan bellowed. She was now the centre of attention, and people standing _outside _the diner were turning their heads to have a look at her. "Yes...Alright...I will make sure she knows!" And with that, she snapped her phone shut and walked up to the booth.

"Hodgins called," she lied. She didn't like lying, but desperate times call for desperate measures. "He said that the particulates we found on Jane Doe. No 123 was...." Brennan paused, racking her brain. Then, "the substance was salt. Common Rock-Salt, NaCl."

Cam said something bone-chillingly scary. "Ah, Dr. Brennan, in matters of the heart, logic, reasoning and particulates take no part!"

Brennan took a step back in shock. Sweets' eyes widened. Angela nearly choked on her coffee. Booth stood up.

"C'mon Bones, I'm dropping you off that the Jeffersonian. Ange, you can...take Cam home." He nodded in Sweets' direction. "Bye," he said and pulled Brennan out of the diner.

* * *

"What the hell did you just do!?" Angela said, glaring at Cam, wondering whether she was supposed to be angry or amused. Sweets was giving Cam a 'You-Need-Therapy' look.

"I was being in character!" said Cam. "You told me to flirt with him, I did."

"Dr. Saroyan," Sweets interjected. "You kissed him."

"A part of..." Cam began and paused, thinking about the right thing to say. By which time, of course, Angela had spoken.

"A part of you job?" she said.

Yearning to change the subject, Cam asked, "She wasn't serious about the salt, was she?" When Cam was answered with two 'Duh!' looks, she nodded. "I thought so."

"Anyway, since when do you do as you're told, huh?" Angela questioned.

Cam paused. "Never actually. There was that one time when I accidentally broke the ceiling tiles – Wait, no, that wasn't an accident...."

Sweets asked, "How did you break ceiling tiles?"

"We don't want to know!" Angela corrected. "We don't want to know."

Sweets grinned. "Where did you hear that 'matters of the heart' statement, Dr. Saroyan?"

Cam looked like she could pound him to death. "None of your business, Sweets!" Angela chuckled.

There was an awkward silence. Then:

"Hey!" Angela said suddenly. "Oh, goldmine!" she leapt off the seat and raced to her car, leaving Cam and Sweets in the dark.

For Angela had just gotten a genius idea. She didn't need help for this one...this one was just perfect.

**A/N: I **_**really**_** liked writing this chapter! I just hoped you liked reading it. Thanks for reading, leave a review, please! **


	6. Chapter 6

_Winning the Bet_

**Yeah, I know I said I won't be updating in a long time, but I updated sooner, I got time. Anyway, happy Valentines Day!! Thank you for all those awesome reviews. **

**And, this idea belongs to the-sadisticalovett-nutcase. Thank you for this awesome idea!**

**I don't own Bones; on with the story. **

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The awkward silence in the SUV was broken by Brennan, who looked nothing short of angry. Her voice was steady, but her arms were folded to her chest, and she stared resolutely out of the window. "So, do you return her feelings?" she asked.

Booth turned his head slowly to his partner, his eyes quizzical. "What?" Before Brennan could repeat the question, he said, "Geez Bones! No I don't. I don't love Cam. And she doesn't love me."

Brennan raised an eyebrow. "Could have fooled me."

"God..." Booth sighed, rolling his eyes. "Angela's up to something."

_Great, _thought Brennan, _He's changing the subject. _"Cam was flirting with you," she pointed out.

Ignoring her, Booth said, "I'm sure Angela's up to something."

"Now that's just jumping to conclusions! What is your evidence for the statement? I want _one shred of evidence_ that suggests that!" She was losing her temper, and she couldn't even figure out why. She was demanding proof, even as she felt a nagging feeling in the corner of her mind that made her want to agree with Booth. It was much better than the alternative, anyway.

Promptly, Booth replied, "You want one shred? I have more: No. 1- The other day, I saw Cam at Founding Fathers with another guy. No. 2- Cam just miraculously comes to office looking like that!?"

At this, Brennan interjected, "Now that you mention it, I remember her wearing a blue outfit today...."

"Exactly, No.3 – Cam knows I l—" At the right moment, Booth stopped, earning a curious look from Brennan. Hastily, Booth corrected, "Cam knows I like...she knows I like...pie."

Brennan's brow furrowed. "She knows you like pie?"

"Er..." said Booth, loosing his collar, "Yeah...I like pie. Cam doesn't. It would never work...she knows that." Hopelessly, Booth changed the subject. "So, Angela. I'm telling you, whatever that act was in the diner, Cam and Angela are the ones behind it."

"A minute ago you said only Angela was up to something!"

And so the ride to the Jeffersonian past...

* * *

Meanwhile, Angela was having a much more productive day. She waited for Booth and Brennan to show up, she had a really great idea up her sleeve. She burst into Hodgins' office, where she knew he had a cupboard, which, happened to have a smallish hole in the lower right corner of it...How she knew that, was all up to the imagination...

Hodgins wasn't there; he was probably getting himself a cup of coffee or something. Angela threw open the cupboard doors, and was contended to find it almost empty, except for a few bare jars where Hodgins usually kept dead animals soaked in green goop.

Angela pulled them out and placed them on the table, and began inspecting the space inside the closet. It was big, and could easily fit two grown humans in it. How she knew that, too, should be left to the darker sides of the imagination.

Her eyes fell on the hole at the bottom, and she was satisfied to find it still existed, so as to act as an air hole. Then Angela turned to Hodgins' table, and she began pulling out drawers, so she could find the lock.

Finding it, she issued a happy squeal, which quickly died down as she saw Hodgins come to her.

"Ange?" he asked, as he entered the office. "Can I help you?"

"Ah...Yeah, actually, I was just hoping...Ah..." she stuttered uselessly. Hodgins raised an eyebrow. Quite suddenly, Angela felt a tickle in her stomach, followed by a swooping sensation. She suddenly felt much more self conscious. "Actually, Jack, I was hoping you'd come over to my place tonight."

Angela could have slapped herself. She could have slapped herself repeatedly until her jaw would break. She could have slapped herself so much the skin of her face would fall off. Quickly reacting to her statement, Hodgins sounded as surprised as Angela felt horrified.

"What?" he asked.

She had to do some serious damage repair. "A party!" she blurted out. She felt herself mentally stomping her own foot. _What party?! _"Yeah, a party, I've invited everyone. Bren, Cam, Booth, everyone. I just came to invite you. Tonight at eight. Come over. It'll be fun." The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop herself and it was getting harder and harder to shut up. She finally managed it though.

"Bye!" Angela said and dashed out. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hodgins roll his blue orbs and take a file from his table. A few seconds later, he walked to his station.

Now Angela was left to create a party out of thin air. For about the hundredth time today, Angela found herself scolding her being. A horrid feeling of dread crept in. What if she lost??

However, she wasn't left pondering that subject too long, as she saw Brennan and Booth walking towards her, seemingly arguing. Without wasting another second, Angela went over to them.

"Guys," she said seriously. "I need you to see something. It's in Hodgins' office." She made her voice sound drastically pleading. "It's important."

Immediately, Booth grew concerned. "Is everything alright, Ange?"

"You have to see this!" she repeated dramatically and turned heel, the pair following. She led them to Hodgins' office. "It's in the closet," she said, "Just open the doors!" She made her voice tearful.

Booth complied, his eyes in deep concern. When Brennan peered into the closet, she said, "But there's nothing in here, Angela."

_Not yet! _Angela thought impishly, before pushing Brennan inside. She wasted no time in doing the same for Booth. "Enjoy!" she called, as both of them fell into the cupboard with yells of surprise. Angela banged the doors shut and locked them. "I'll be back in three hours. You're both invited to my party tonight at eight. Have fun!"

Ignoring the banging and shouting of the duo, Angela bounded out of the office, a grin quietly creeping onto her features. Kudos Avalon!

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**Me loves reviews. Me can live on reviews for rest of me life! Lol. **

**By the way, the conversation that Booth and Brennan will have in the closet in the next chapter - the idea belongs to ** **the-sadisticalovett-nutcase too. **

**Thanks for reading, and have a great Valentines!**


	7. Chapter 7

_Winning the Bet_

**A/N: I am so sorry for the delay. I want to thank all my reviewers for all that love! lol. Before I forget, this chapter's idea belongs to the-sadisticallovett-nutcase. I don't own Bones. On with the story. **

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"Where is Dr. Brennan?" she was curt and to the point. Angela stared guiltily at her feet, avoiding the eyes of her boss. Cam had changed into her regular clothes, and was looking peeved. And who could blame her? She had been practically _forced_ into a smutty outfit, and then forced again, to flirt with her ex-boyfriend under the excuse of being caffeinated, and had her sanity questioned upon by Booth, his partner, and Sweets. And to top it all, Brennan was nowhere to be seen.

"InsideaclosetinHodgins'officehopefullymakingout," Angela replied, saying it fast, mashing all the words together.

"What?" asked Cam, "I didn't catch that?"

Angela took a breath, and said, "Inside a closet in Hodgins' office hopefully making out...?"

"WHAT!" Cam blew. Angela knew she had to do some damage repair. Pronto.

"It's a slow day, Cam. Nothing much is happening." She hoped it would work. "Plus, you get a cut out of the money. Who is it gonna hurt?"

"What about the bones in Limbo? Someone needs to identify them!"

"The bones in Limbo have been dead and gone for over a hundred years. I'm sure they don't mind another day's wait." When Cam's expression didn't change, Angela added, "Well come on, Cam! You know we all want this."

"It's interfering with work at the Jeffersonian, Angela. I can't permit this!"

"Make an exception, please. You know Brennan's not taken a day off in nine months! Even when she got shot, she insisted on coming, remember? She deserves this!"

Cam glared at Angela, thinking about it. Yeah, the artist was right – Brennan had insisted on working, even when her arm had been shot and she had been in so much pain, that Booth finally had to force her home. And Brennan was always punctual, and very hard-working. Plus, it was a slow day...Not many cases, and frankly, Limbo work was boring. Saroyan couldn't believe what she was doing.

"Fine," Cam said resentfully. "Alright. Okay."

Angela looked close to squealing. "Thanks!" she said. Then she paused, and added, "I'm having a party tonight, you're invited. Tonight at eight at my place."

This was a surprise. "A party? What for?"

"To prove I'm not insane," Angela replied flatly and walked off before Cam could question her further.

Cam saw Angela leave, a horrible nagging feeling coursing through her brain. It's not everyday that a part of your staff is locked inside a store cupboard with your consent, now is it?

* * *

After a minute of banging, it was becoming painfully obvious that they were trapped in the closet. Angela was going to be true to her word. Brennan sighed, leaning against the back of the cupboard. "Damn it," she muttered.

"You want more evidence?" Booth said, copying her. "Your best friend locked us into a closet."

"What could she possibly want to achieve?" cried Brennan. Booth looked at her. Was she serious? Wasn't it that palpable? "I mean," continued Brennan, "First Cam, then Ange...what possible explanation can there be to this behavior?"

Great. If she didn't know yet, she didn't have to. Booth had decided that. It would spare them both a whole lot of awkwardness. Booth had another worry. "Bones, how much air do you think is in this thing?"

Brennan was silent for a moment, trying to think. She was horribly aware that her shoulders were pressed against Booth's, and she was practically leaning against him. _Focus, Temperance, focus, _she thought, making mental calculations. "If my estimations are correct," she replied after a minute, "Then we have enough air until Angela returns. Booth, what do _you_ think Ange wants to achieve by locking us in here?"

Booth gulped. This was not fair. Here he was, an honest man, doing an honest day's work, trying to ignore is undying love for his partner on a daily basis, and then here was Angela, forcing him into circumstances that pushed his powers of control to the limit. Why did she have to ask _that_ question? WHY!?

And, not to mention...he couldn't lie to her. He couldn't.

Life sucked.

"...Ermm...you know Bones..." he mumbled. He could almost picture her making a curious face. He couldn't see in the dark. This is what it must have been like when Brennan and Hodgins were buried alive. Minus the awkwardness.

"No Booth, I don't."

Booth coughed. "Ange...and Cam...they...they're..." And this is what it must feel like for a suspect when he was being questioned. _Especially _if the guy was guilty. "They're trying to...you know Bones...bring us...together," he finished with difficulty.

To his surprise, and dare he admit it, horror, Brennan began laughing. "What?" she said between giggles. "Don't they know we're just partners and that's what we'll ever be?"

Booth felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Yeah," he agreed, masking the hurt in his voice, "just partners."

An awkward thirty seconds passed. Booth said, "Bones, I'm bored. Let's do something." Only after he said it, did he realise his words could be misinterpreted. Especially as they were locked inside a cupboard. Luckily for him, Bones was a very literal person.

"Booth, what could we possibly do in here, count the termites?"

"No, actually Hodgins would have already done that," he replied, trying to make a joke. And as usual, his Bones didn't get it.

"I'm sure Dr. Hodgins would have better things to do." A pause. "I think."

"Let's play truth and dare," said Booth, masking a grin. He had ulterior motives for this game.

Brennan groaned. "I hate that game! Why don't we ask each other general knowledge questions instead?"

There was no contest. "Nah, truth and dare. I'll give you a dare or a truth question, and you answer it. Then we reverse roles."

She grumbled a bit, but complied. She heard Booth chuckle a bit. He said, "Truth or dare?"

"What possible dare could you expect me to do in this dark closet!" she snapped. Booth didn't open his mouth. He didn't trust himself to speak. Because all the dares that were forming in his mind could have been termed as 'perverse' or 'inappropriate'. With a dramatic sigh, Brennan answered, "Truth."

"Right, truth," said Booth, thinking. Then, coming to a decision, he allowed his lips to curve into a sly grin. It didn't matter, no one could even see him smile. He stated, "Tell me about your first date!"

Immediately, Brennan shot back, "What! Booth, I'm not going to tell you."

"Oooh," Booth said suggestively, raising an eyebrow in the dark. "Why not?? It's a truth question Bones. You have to answer."

"No Booth, I want another question." She was almost whining. It took all of Booth's energy to not laugh.

"No, I'm no giving you another question. C'mon Bones! Do tell."

She sighed. "This is only because if we talk too much when it's not required, we'll run out of air." A minute's silence, then, "His name was Josh Anderson." It was obvious to Booth, Brennan, and all the microorganisms in the closet that she was about to relieve a really embarrassing story. It seemed as though already Brennan was finding it hard to say the rest.

Booth helped her there. "You liked him. Then?"

"...He asked me if I could tutor him in biology..."

"_That_ was your first date!?"

Ignoring the interruption, she continued, "While I was helping him in studying the structure of DNA, he asked me out and I said yes. And that was my first date. Your turn." She said it quickly.

"Wow....structure of DNA...._that's _romantic," Booth said in obvious sarcasm.

"Oh, you think so?" When she was greeted with silence, she added, "Oh, you were being sarcastic."

Booth snorted. "Tell me the rest of the story."

Another sigh from her. This one was more troubled. "He was one of _those_ guys....We went for apple pie at the local diner."

"I thought you hated apple pie?"

"...Because he'd asked the waitress to stuff Brainy Smurf into my pie," she finished. "And as it turns out, it was all a prank. That's mean."

Again, it took all his energy not to laugh. "You were Brainy Smurf-ed again!?" he said one he got back some control.

"My turn!" snapped Brennan. "Who was the first girl you, you know...."

"...Had sex with? Wait, I've not yet chosen if I want dare or truth!"

"No, not sex....the first girl you liked. You know, that way."

Booth rolled his eyes. "That's your question? Seriously Bones!" he sensed a steely silence in the air. With another eye-roll, he answered. "Lily Summers. God, she was hot! Blonde...blue-eyed...cheerleader..." He said the last part almost proudly. And not usually like herself, Brennan noticed.

"You went out with her just because she was a cheerleader!? That's preposterous, Booth!"

"Whoa, Bones, _she _liked _me_ too, okay! Anyway, it was Christmas Eve on our first date." His voice went low. Brennan had to lean closer to listen. "With mistletoe..." even lower.

"Speak louder, Booth, I can't hear." _Perfect, Seeley! Atta-Boy. It's working, _he thought. This was not like him at all. But Angela had provided him with the perfect opportunity, and he was going to take it.

"With mistletoe?" asked Brennan, leaning closer to hear better. Booth leaned in too.

"Yeah..."

Their lips were millimeters from each other. Booth's gut feeling told him that, and what's more, even Brennan had an inkling that she was invading his personal space.

"And you know what happens on Christmas under mistletoe..." said Booth, his voice a husky whisper.

The mental chatter in Brennan's mind shut down. And Dr. Brennan was shut off completely. Temperance answered. Not Dr. Brennan, but Temperance. "...A kiss."

Their eyes closed, coming only a millimeter closer. The passion was evident. Then, "Oh!"

Light flooded in. The doors opened, the moment died instantly. Booth and Brennan flew apart so quickly and she almost tripped. Finding balance, she blanched.

"Hodgins...?" said Booth, his cheeks redder than blood, (metaphorically speaking, of course)

"Er...." Hodgins stood before them, his face red in embarrassment. "I was wondering why the jars were left outside, and..." he stopped. "I gotta go, I need to....pulp some maggots...or something."

"We were kidnapped and forced in her by Angela!" said Brennan immediately. Booth rubbed his forehead. This day turned from boring to weird, to great, to embarrassing _far_ too quickly.

"Yeah," Booth said, stepping out of the cupboard after Brennan. He patted the male scientist's shoulder. "Thanks for letting us out Hodgins."

"Er..." said Hodgins, following them with his eyes. "You're welcome...?"

"Sure," said Brennan as the two of them walked out of the office, keeping an arm's length from each other and not daring to look at each other in the eye.

They left a very severely confused Hodgins alone in his office. _Erm..._Hodgins thought, _Back to work then...huh?_

**A/N: The next chapter will probably be the last, but I'm not sure. Thanks for reading. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

_Winning The Bet_

**A/N: The last chapter (hopefully)! I don't own Bones. **

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Like a panther, quiet and stealthy, Dr. Lance Sweets snaked through the Jeffersonian. He looked to his left and then to his right. Seeing no-one, he continued at his pace. He was looking for one particular member of the forensics team. He sighed in relief as he neared the office, finding who he was looking for.

The person in question stood in the middle of the room, looking like they'd just been slapped in the face. He checked around him again; the coast was clear. He entered the office.

"What's up?" Sweets asked. The person turned to glare at him.

"Sweets, what did you tell her?!" Hodgins roared. Sweets took a step back.

"What? Who? What?" stammered Sweets, though he had a good idea what the entomologist was talking about.

"What the hell did you tell Angela? Did you not tell her about _not_ sneaking them into my cupboard?"

"Er..."

"I knew that Angela would do that! Why? Because she knows it can fit two people very easily. How do I know that? USE YOUR IMAGINATION!" Hodgins approached Sweets with a venomous glower. The psychologist was doomed.

_**Yesterday. 12.30 AM, Founding Fathers.**_

The two of them were drunk. More Angela than Hodgins. Sweets sat between them, watching the both of them throw back God knows how many glasses of alcohol. Hodgins said something, Sweets and Angela laughed. Somehow, the conversation turned to Booth and Dr. Brennan.

"They're very blind," commented Angela, before giggling a bit. "Agent Studly and Brennan. I can see _that_ happening!"

"What makes you so sure?" asked Sweets, hoping to gain a new insight into the two partners.

"Hello, have you _seen_ Booth!" Angela said loudly before taking another sip from her glass.

"Relationships are not just based on look—" Sweets tried to say, but was cut off by Hodgins.

"At this point, just agree with her," he said, pointing at the state Angela was in. She was very drunk. To Angela, Jack said, "Maybe you should take a cab home, Ange?"

Angela nodded. "Yeah. That sounds like FUN!" She shouted out the last word, slapped a couple of bucks on the table and walked out. From the window they saw her call a cab.

Sweets and Hodgins looked at the money she left on the table. No way in hell was that going to cover anything; they were just going to have to pay themselves.

"So," Sweets said to Hodgins, "You believe Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan are meant to be?"

"Me?" replied Hodgins, shaking his head. "I don't know, but Angela seems pretty sure. I bet that if she got the chance, she'd make them kiss—with or without their consent."

It was evident that the alcohol was taking its toll on the entomologist. Had he been sober he wouldn't have added that last sentence.

"So you're saying that Angela can 'get them together'?" Sweets summarized.

"You're saying that she can't?" A challenging pause. Then, Hodgins slapped down his wallet of the counter. "That's three hundred bucks saying that she can!"

Sweets looked surprised, but only for a minute. "Fine, so if you win, you get the money, and if I win, I get the money. Alright. Deal."

There was another pause, then Hodgins said, "But how do we get Angela to actually get them together?"

"That's easy!" Sweets said, "I challenge Angela to do so. A bet of three hundred."

"Nice!" agreed Hodgins. But then his smile faded a little, and his face turned serious. "But, dude, _please_, specifically tell Angela to not to lock them in the cupboard in my office. I know she'll do that, and I don't want that happening."

Sweets nodded. "Sure." They stood, paid, and walked out.

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"I forgot!" cried Sweets, as Hodgins advanced. "I'm sorry! I—"

"Sweets!!" cried Angela cheerfully. The men turned to look at the artist, who had just entered. "Party. My house. Today. Eight." She turned to leave, but then stopped. "Oh, by the way, _I'm going to win._"

"We'll see about that!" Sweets called. An idea coming to him, he added, "Do you want another challenge?"

Angela stopped dead in her tracks. _Another _challenge?! Wasn't this one hard enough? What was she going to do? A battle of the wills, this was.

"Fine," replied the artist. "What?"

"How 'bout the deadline end tonight, at twelve, huh? If you're so sure you're going to win, it shouldn't bother you."

Simultaneously, Angela and Hodgins cried, "WHAT!?" Sweets, on the other hand, smirked. This is going so well. He was going to win two bets at once.

After all, Sweets had observed Booth and Brennan for three years now. He knew they didn't give in to peer pressure or anything even vaguely close. It didn't take a genius to figure that they weren't going to confess anything to anyone. Yes, he knew Booth loved Brennan, but that wasn't 'true' love. It was simply brain chemicals reacting to the coma dream.

Great. Now he sounded like Brennan. A little bit, at least.

"Scared?" the psychologist taunted.

With a steely tone to her voice, Angela replied, "Not at all. Bring it on." Her eyes were dangerously narrow, and her gait could have belonged to a lioness. She turned in a huff, and left.

Sweets was left alone with Hodgins. And the entomologist didn't look happy. With a falter in his step and a nervous chuckle, the psychologist flew out of the office.

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_**The party**_

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What really happened in that cupboard?

Angela pondered that thought for about the hundredth time that night as she observed Brennan at one side of the room, detached and alone, and Booth on the other, chatting animatedly with Cam. Angela couldn't help notice that his laugh was too high and his smile didn't touch his eyes.

With a sigh, the artist observed the party that was in full swing. The booze was a spectacular attraction, including the live DJ she somehow managed to hire. She herself was surprised how many people came. She'd invited all her friends at the Jeffersonian, Sweets, Booth, and all the interns that kept circulating. She invited Roxie as well...but there was no surprise that the woman hadn't shown up. Angela even had quite a few friends at the FBI who had come.

The party was going quite well. That much was certain.

But...what happened in that cupboard?

That wasn't.

Feeling a little bad for her best friend, Angela walked up to Brennan, who was idly sipping beer.

"I honestly didn't think you'd come," Angela commented.

Brennan looked up. Angela almost _saw _her best friend's walls coming to her defense. Brennan said, "Yeah...well. I could study the behavior of people in social situations. It's fascinating." Angela raised an eyebrow.

"I also thought you'd be mad at me for what I did to you today..." said Angela. Then, "Or...what did you do with Studly? Something happened right! That's why you're not mad!"

"Pure conjecture!" shot Brennan. "And yeah, I'm really angry with you."

Angela made an indistinct noise. "Sure seems like it." A silence from both the girls, filled with the background music of 'Baby Got Back.' Angela spoke, "So tell me the details. Whatcha do with Booth?"

Brennan gave Angela a raised eyebrow before answering, "Truth or Dare."

Angela's brow furrowed. "Is that anthropologist's lingo for 'sex'? Because if it isn't...."

"Of course it isn't!"

"...Then I can't decide whether to be appalled or amazed." Subconsciously, Angela checked her watch. It was eleven thirty. This was not good. Quickly, she looked at Brennan and said, "I'll be right back," and disappeared into the crowd.

With a swift glance, she spotted the FBI agent. _Damn it, Booth, _she thought_, If I lose this bet, it's you I'm going to kill._

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**A/N: So, I said this was going to be the last chapter, but it felt better to leave it here for now. Please review and thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

_Winning The Bet_

**A/N: Thanks for the amazing reviews guys! *Hugs reviewers*. I don't own Bones.**

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Angela came up from behind him and slapped his head. "Booth!" she said angrily. He turned around, surprised. She pulled the bottle of beer from his hands and glared him down.

"What's all that about!" he cried, confused. Angela rolled her eyes at Cam, who gave her an understanding nod. "What!?" Booth cried again, turning from one woman to the other. With a swift sideways glance at Brennan, Cam walked away.

"You want to tell me what happened in that damn cupboard!?" snapped Angela.

"You want to tell me _why_ you locked us in there in the first place?" he retorted.

"No." Angela glared at him. "Booth, go kiss Brennan. Otherwise, you'll have to answer to me." Her voice was dangerously low. "And believe me, Agent Studly, you don't want that happening." She checked her watch again. It was 11.05. "NOW," he emphasized.

"No, Ange, I am not going to kiss her. No way!" Booth held his hands up defensively.

Angela raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" she asked. "You were more than happy to do so at Brennan's Egyptian exhibit, weren't you? Don't like to me, Seeley Booth, I saw how close you were to her that night. You would have kissed, too. But you were interrupted. You were all but leaning _on _her, okay? So you bloody well get your act together and go kiss my best friend!" She pushed Booth forward. "GO!" Angela left Booth to find Brennan, her eyes following him like a hawk.

"Hey, Ange! Great party!" Angela turned around to see Hodgins. She smiled.

"Thank you," she said. She wanted nothing more than to be with him tonight. She wanted nothing more than to lie in his arms. She knew she loved him, even now. It just took a long, long time to come to the surface. This was going to be awkward, but she needed him to know. "Jack..." she said, pulling him to a quiet corner.

"Ange, what is it?" he asked, concerned. "Is everything alright?"

She took a deep breath. "No, it's not. Listen, Hodgins...I...you know, the morning after we broke up, I woke up alone. You know what I thought? I thought about swings."

Hodgins' breath caught. Swings. That was their first date. Angela said, "Swings. That was our first date, remember? And I thought about how perfect it was. And how perfect my life was! I...I missed you. I just...I think..." She couldn't go on. A second later, she found, she didn't even have to.

Hodgins' lips were against hers. It lasted for only a few seconds, but it was perfect. "Angie...I know how corny this sounds..." he began. They laughed. He continued, "I love you."

Angela nodded. "Very corny," she chuckled, "just the way I like it." This time, it was she who kissed him.

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Booth approached Brennan cautiously, as though she might bite. "Bones...?" he said. She looked up.

"Hello Booth," she said. "Would you like a sip?" She handed him her beer bottle. He took it.

"Yeah, thanks." After Angela had taken his, he felt oddly detached. His idea of a party was music and beer.

"About today..." she began. Booth almost cursed. That was the last thing he wanted to talk about. "I understand that you have feelings for me. I saw that you tried to kiss me today, and this behavior leads me to that conclusion." Booth almost spat out a mouth full of beer.

"Bones I—"

"Booth, listen. It's nothing to feel ashamed of. You're not the only one." There was a sly grin on her face.

"Did you just make a joke?" he questioned. Was this really happening? Oh God. This was thin ice, unfamiliar ground, dangerous territory, yada yada. He'd heard from his friends that the wait between the time you say 'I love you' and the time when she either says it back or blows you off, is the hardest thing in the world. He never really believed it. Until now. This was living hell.

"I just want to say that I do have feelings for you. I thought about it a lot, you know. It seems rational that I love you because you are sweet and kind and one of my best friends. You are the true Alfa-Male. Not to mention, your face has perfect symmetry." So saying, she leaned forward and softly kissed him.

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Across the room, Dr. Lance Sweets grinned. From where he stood, he could see Angela and Hodgins, and Brennan and Booth. So what if he lost six hundred bucks? This had been worth it.

Across the city, the clocks struck twelve midnight.

But in this room, Lance Sweets made himself another drink.

In this room, the DJ played another song. Sweets chuckled. The party had barely begun.

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**A/N: And this chapter marks the end of the story. I must say, I'm kinda disappointed with this one, to be honest. I don't think it was one of the better chapters. But anyway, thanks for reading you guys! And thanks to all those people who reviewed and motivated me to write this. **

**Don't forget to review!**


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